A Community Effort to Preserve the Mill

For decades, the organization’s leadership was largely made up of summer residents, who held monthly meetings in New York City except during the summer months. The group rented the mill and undertook repairs at a time when the Water Mill Village Improvement Association (WMVIA) was not interested in taking responsibility for another historic building.

From Historic Mill to Museum

In 1942, the LAWM purchased the mill and incorporated as the Ladies Auxiliary of Water Mill, Inc., a nonprofit organization. The museum opened in 1969 and was initially known as the “Old Water Mill Museum.”

Becoming the Water Mill Museum

In the late 1990s, the LAWM board voted to change the name of the organization to the Water Mill Museum. The change reflected a desire to encourage broader participation in the organization, including greater involvement by men at the board level.

The transition took approximately a year as federal and state documents were updated. The existing LAWM board became the board of the Water Mill Museum, and the organization continued its work as a nonprofit under its new name.

Preserving Water Mill Today

Today, the Water Mill Museum maintains the historic three-building site and its grounds, all of which are included in the Town of Southampton’s historic designation.